The Virtues of Medication

Clarissa has made an interesting point: Why should people wanted to be medicated for who we are, including if we have difficulty picking up on social cues and others' feelings?

Her point seems to be: Why should we accommodate people who won't accept us for who we are - and presumably for how we behave while in ignorance of said cues and feelings?

Well, some things that Aspies do, while not understanding cues and feelings, hurt others. We insult people. We put people between a rock and a hard place by forcing them to express negative things, such as a lack of desire for a date, bluntly. That makes it hard for us to make and keep friends, good jobs, accommodating roommates, and particularly romantic relationships.

We even make it more difficult for people to distinguish actual criminals, in that we sometimes act the same ways that criminals act, such as by peering into people's windows, staring at and even following people (especially women) and pushing people's (implicit) boundaries. That means, among other things, that people may call the cops on us. Or even play vigilante and give us a beating...or worse.

Now, some of those real criminals are mighty grateful for the service some of us are providing them. So, they're happy to accept us for what we are. They'd love us to remain oblivious of people's thoughts and intentions - especially theirs as they gear up to beat, rob, kidnap, rape and even murder us. The last thing a thug wants is for people to jam his easy-victim sensors or detect and pre-empt his game.

If AS and autism spectrum conditions in general are disabilities, for which we can ask for accommodations - and I think they are - don't we owe it to both ourselves and society to pursue reasonable efforts to alleviate them?

What do you think?

Possible Oxytocin Treatment?

Hello,

A team of German and British researchers has found that nasal sprays of oxytocin, the nurturance hormone, can help men better respond to social cues and others' feelings.

Scientists are speculating that it may help people with certain neurological disorders, including autism.

Do you think general use of oxytocin therapy can be a positive or negative step for Aspies and autists?

H/T: KipEsquire.

Interesting Anniversaries Department

Hello,

Did you know that ten years ago today, the U.S. Postal Service began enforcing regulations about appropriately designating mail addressed to a Private Mail Box, or PMB for short?

(In essence, the Postal Service wants to make sure that people sending things - like money - to a Private Mail Box, like, say, a UPS Store box, know that the recipient is a PMB and not a swank set of offices. So for anything sent through the mail where the address is in fact a PMB, but not marked as such on the envelope/package and thus the sender may not know it's a PMB, the Postal Service will return it and indicate why, giving the sender a chance to reconsider in light of the information.)

Cheers!

Do People Think You're Full of Bull?

Check out Rob Brezsny's (syndicated) Free Will Astrology this week for Taurus (my birth sign), and think it over!

A Taxing Decision

Hello,

Here in the U.S., the April 15 deadline for sending in Federal and (most) state tax returns is rapidly approaching.

So, guess what I was doing this past weekend? Emily's and my taxes (including A SPLINT's property tax return, too). For the Federal income tax return, I decided to use the Free File Fillable Forms program; you gather your W-2s, 1099s and similar forms and records, create an account (using last year's Adjusted Gross Income to identify yourself) and then sit down, type out each form and schedule and electronically submit the whole kit and kaboodle, all for free. Plus the IRS notifies you within hours if there is a problem with your return. (Your refund or payment can also be electronic, and can also be just as free.)

Among other things, I needed to fill our Schedule C for A SPLINT. The schedule asks for the nature of the business, which of course is life coaching and presenting. It also asks me to input an appropriate code for the business and I selected one that indicates services.

Schedule C includes a section for "Cost of Goods Sold" and asks for inventory figures. Of course, I don't have any inventory, so I just put zeroes on down the line.

It also asks which inventory valuation method I use: basically, do I say the inventory remaining at the end of the year is worth whatever I had originally paid for it, or do I "mark it down to market" and just say it's worth the going price at the time if the price has gone down, or do I use some other method? And if the latter, could I please attach an explanation?

I don't see any space to type in an explanation, or any way to upload a document. But, I figure, the business type explanation - both verbal and code number - plus the zeroes for all the inventory figures should give the IRS enough of a clue that this question doesn't apply to A SPLINT. So I click "Other method," merrily (hah!) finish our return and other schedules and submit the package.

A few hours later, I get the dreaded email: My return has been...

...rejected!

Because it didn't have an accompanying explanation for the alternative inventory method.

Heavens above, what's going on here? Why is the IRS kicking back my return over something that doesn't even matter in my case?

This looks like a clear issue of principle to me: The IRS has no right to make me re-do my return over an issue that makes no sense.

Indeed they don't. On the other hand, if I just jump through their extraneous hoop and select an inventory method (after all, if I have no inventory and the question therefore doesn't matter, neither does my response), they'll accept my return and I can move on to other things.

So, I in effect promised the IRS that in the event my nonexistent inventory declines in value over the year, I'll mark it down to market. I see no point to the obstacle, on the other hand if I can get around it as quickly as clicking another box for an answer which, for that very reason, commits me to nothing anyway...

Expediency 1, Principle 0.

One of the things running a business does for anyone - including an Aspie - is rack up some points for the Expediency team. I just don't have the time anymore for some of the stupid donnybrooks I used to get into.

What do you think?

Autism Resource Fair Tomorrow

Hello,

I'll present at the Autism Resource Fair tomorrow, 3-7pm, at Montgomery College's PE Main Gymnasium (51 Mannakee Street) in Rockville, Maryland. It's sponsored by Montgomery County's Department of Health and Human Services' Aging and Disability Services' Community Support Network.

Meanwhile, any of you up in the Baltimore area who wants good business supplies (eg, business cards, flyers, copies and the like) should check out Head Graphics Enterprises, Inc., on 630 Frederick Road in Catonsville, Maryland, (410) 744-0415, fax (410) 744-0246, headgraphics AT erols DOT com. It's a small business and it's run like one - that is, they seem to me to do right by their customers. If you do check them out, feel free to tell 'em I sent you.

Last but not least, hope you're having a good Autism Awareness Month - and U.S. readers, let's get our taxes in on time! =8-}

Autism Awareness!

Hello,

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I've guest-posted at Autism Learning Felt. It summarizes a talk I gave last week at the Jewish Social Service Agency in Fairfax, Virginia to a group of parents of Aspie adolescents.

Also, I wore blue today in honor of Autism Awareness Day. Specifically, my sky-blue tie.

Have a great weekend!